Regardless, you might find the copy & paste info below helpful:)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

So, your focus may need to pivot from high rental cash flow to little to no cash flow as a rental with an appreciation upside.I would recommend taking your $150K to $200K and securing a solid equity position in something that will cover its expenses and maybe provide a small cash flow, but then is poised to appreciate nicely over the course of the next several years. 

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

What I recommend people do is tell the lender ok great I am going to want to use my own title company to close this so funds would go to them.

There is a free version that allows you to do the planning, analysis and estimating that I would recommend you try before deciding to purchase the full version to see if this meets your needs. 

My recommendation would be to engage an investment property focused realtor (not a general residential realtor) and let that person guide you through the process from pre-qualification to market/property valuation and selection. 

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Can anyone recommend sources for contact information for property owners?

If you have a competitive advantage that you can bring to your co-hosting/managing, then I would recommend looking for owners with properties that mesh well with your target resident.For example, if you are an active duty military servicemember with unique insight into what a servicemember is looking for, lean into that.

I'd recommend having enough to close on the deal + rehab + $5k in reserve as a minimum.